So if the average rent is between $1.6k and 2.2k, I can probably get away with between total cost per month @$2.6k and $3.2k.With all this being said - my favorite town is East Rutherford which seems to hit all of my criteria (+low property taxes) based on my initial internet research.

Here's our numbers as a comparison to yours:Mortgage (P&I Only) - $2570Taxes - $480Insurance - $220Cable/Internet - $150Electricity - $230 (averaged for last year)Gas - $0Water - $65Cleaning - $900Software - $30Landscaping - $0Pool - $0Repairs - $200HOA - $450Host fees (I don't count toward my gross because I never see that $ in my account -- AirBnB takes it out directly)You can definitely buy a SFR in Destin at that price point, and a condo is also another option. 

Do they just look up people on the internet, do they use services such as Thumbtack or home advisor? 

Currently still unemployed from my casino job.

@Arthur Hughes most of that is internet marketing and advertising.

We have a place in town with free high-speed internet in the Pearl district that is $850/month for a 2 bed - About 50% of market easily. 

It's supposed to be one of the reasons why you call one of us, rather than a big bank or internet lender, or whatever. 

Are there more effective ways to locate properties using the internet?

If you have found the buyer yourself, do an internet search on "close my home sale" and you should find a flat fee purchase agreement and closing arrangement service (although not area has such services available).If you haven't found a buyer and are considering a flat fee MLS listing, many of the reputable services will include the purchase agreement forms and guidance on how to get a transaction closed when the buyer does not have an agent.

As long as your tenant base has bank accounts and are internet capable, I’d always use Cozy, Apartments.com or Tenant Cloud type services.